Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Preparing an Isotopically Pure 229Th Ion Beam for Studies of 229mTh
Published on: May 3, 2019
Benchmarking Nuclear Matrix Elements of 0νββ Decay with High-Energy Nuclear Collisions
Yi Li1,2, Xin Zhang3, Giuliano Giacalone4
1Sun Yat-sen University, School of Physics and Astronomy, Zhuhai 519082, China.
None:
Reducing uncertainties in the nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) remains a critical challenge in designing and interpreting experiments aimed at discovering neutrinoless double-beta (0νββ) decay. Here, we identify a class of observables, distinct from those employed in low-energy nuclear structure applications, that are strongly correlated with the NMEs: momentum correlations among hadrons produced in high-energy nuclear collisions. Focusing on the ^{150}Nd→^{150}Sm transition, we combine a Bayesian analysis of the structure of ^{150}Nd with simulations of high-energy ^{150}Nd+^{150}Nd collisions. We reveal prominent correlations between the NMEs and features of the quark-gluon plasma formed in these processes, such as spatial gradients and anisotropies, that are accessible via collective flow measurements. Our findings demonstrate collider experiments involving 0νββ decay candidates as a platform for benchmarking theoretical predictions of the NMEs.
More Related Videos
10:10Neutron Crystallography Data Collection and Processing for Modelling Hydrogen Atoms in Protein Structures
Published on: December 1, 2020
10:24Neutron Radiography and Computed Tomography of Biological Systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor
Published on: May 7, 2021
Related Concept Videos
Nuclear Stability
To hold positively charged protons together...
Radioactivity and Nuclear Equations
A nuclide of an element has a specific number of protons and...
Types of Radioactivity
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
Nuclear Binding Energy
Nuclear Transmutation
Nuclear Fission